Observation by Dr Paul Leyland: (20000) Varuna

Uploaded by

Dr Paul Leyland

Observer

Dr Paul Leyland

Observed

2023 Feb 20 - 22:45

Uploaded

2023 Feb 21 - 11:22

Objects

20000 Varuna

Equipment

0.4m Dilworth Relay
SX 814 CCD camera
No filter

Exposure

85.5 minutes in 177 30-s subs.

Location

Tacande Observatory, MPC J22

Target name

(20000) Varuna

Title

(20000) Varuna

About this image

(20000) Varuna is a Kuiper Belt Object, about 650km in diameter (though it is far from spherical), 44.1AU distant from the Earth and magnitude 20.3 at the time of observation. It moved less than 5 arcseconds during the imaging session, not a lot more than the seeing radius, so it is not obviously trailed. Stacking on the KBO may have yielded a slightly better contrast against the sky, which was not especially transparent.

It's good that the BAA Handbook lists the brightest of the TNOs as it prompted me to image (20000) Varuna.

Files associated with this observation

20000_2.png (512.6 kB)

Like this image

Grant Privett, David Basey, Tim Haymes

Comments

Dr Paul Leyland, 2023 Feb 21 - 11:27 UTC

I forgot to mention: most of the objects in this image which are of comparable brightness to (20000) Varuna are not stars but background galaxies.

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